Professor Dr. Leonid Averyanov, a Russian scientist, has contributed significantly to the discovery of three new genera in the Orchidaceae and Araliaceae families, as well as identifying 51 new species (49 of which are orchids), including 10 species endemic to Vietnam.
Over 20 years of botanical research in Vietnam, many forests have borne his footprints, such as Liêm Thủy (Na Rì, Bắc Cạn); Pà Cò (Mai Châu, Hòa Bình); Pù Luông Nature Reserve, Cổ Lũng (Bá Thước, Thanh Hóa); Pù Huống Nature Reserve (Con Cuông, Nghệ An); Cuc Phuong National Park (Ninh Bình), Núi Chúa National Park (Ninh Thuận), Kon Plong (Kon Tum), and Bát Đại Sơn Nature Reserve (Quản Bạ, Hà Giang).
Throughout his years of dedication and passion for studying Vietnam’s flora, he has faced challenges, including acute malaria, and nearly lost his life in the forests of Khánh Vĩnh (Khánh Hòa). On one occasion, while searching for the pink lady’s slipper orchid, he only managed to find the leaves of the species before succumbing to malaria for three days and nights. He had to return to Russia but was back in that very “malaria forest” six months later to successfully locate the pink lady’s slipper orchid.
According to Professor Dr. Phan Kế Lộc, a biologist at the Vietnam Tropical Biology Institute, Leonid is considered the world’s foremost expert on Vietnamese orchids.
Professor Dr. Leonid is regarded as one of the top five plant specialists globally. He has published over 200 scientific works and several books, including one focused on Vietnamese orchids and another on Vietnamese flora. These two books have been published in both English and Vietnamese.
TTXVN
